Interstate Water Report
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Volume 7, Number 2 Fall 2010 Interstate Water Report T h e n e w s l e tt e r o f n e I w P C C – T h e n e w e n g l a n d I n T e r s TaT e w aT e r P o l l u ti o n C o n T r o l C o m m I s s I o n GauGinG the GaGes InsIde Nationwide Network of Monitoring Stations Keeps Eye on ron Poltak on Post-election Rivers and Streams, Collects Critical Data—But Funding is washington .........................................2 Tanks Conference 2010: Ongoing Challenge lots of Talk, a little Theater ...............3 By Stephen Hochbrunn, NEIWPCC Talking streamgages and more with Interior’s anne Castle ..................8 f you do not know much about America’s network of streamgages or, like many people, are unaware of the net- work’s existence, Greg Stewart is glad to fill you in. Stewart is data section chief at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Water legal lines: IScience Center in Augusta, Maine, and getting him to talk about streamgages is about as hard as getting Al Gore to a Case that Bears a lesson .................9 talk climate change. A little prompt and the motor is running. Presby environmental’s “It doesn’t take much to get me talking about this program,” Stewart, 39, said, during an hour-and-a-half drive secrets to success ..............................10 from Augusta to a streamgage on the Piscataquis River near the town of Dover-Foxworth in central Maine. “Because I noaa’s stephen lehmann really love what I do.” on the Crisis in the gulf ....................16 So focused was Stewart on the conversation that he even Book review: The Big necessity ........17 missed the exit off I-95 to take to the gage, making a long drive even longer. It did not matter. Listening to Stewart talk streamgages is a lively education in a subject that deserves to be more widely known. “The other day, I was looking at these typed, carbon-copy letters sent by our office in 1912 to a landowner, telling him how they’d built a gage house in his backyard,” Stewart said. “It’s incredible to be part of that history.” The streamgage network does indeed have deep roots. The USGS, which operates and maintains the gages, set up its first station for monitoring a river’s flow in 1889 on the Rio Grande River in New Mexico. (The USGS tradition of spelling gauge as “gage” apparently began three years later, when the agency’s chief hydrographer is said to have left out the “u” in deference to the original Saxon spelling.) In 1901, USGS established its first New England streamgaging station on the Kennebec River at The Forks, Maine. From these beginnings, a vast system has emerged: currently, there are more than 7,600 automated streamgages across the country, constantly collecting information about river conditions for multiple uses, including forecasting floods and droughts, allocating water resources, designing bridges, oper- ating dams, even measuring the effects of climate change. For so much of the nation’s work where water is involved, the data generated by the gages provide an indispensable foundation. continued on page 4 interstates in action NEWMOA and NEIWPCC Study Mercury at Massachusetts Treatment Plants By Susy King, NEIWPCC f mercury, a potent neurotoxin, is going to be eliminated from the environment, mercury reduction must be made a priority everywhere—and that includes at Iwastewater and drinking water treatment facilities. A study of such facilities in Massachusetts revealed awareness of the mercury issue and encouraging activity, along with room for improvement. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection initiated the study, which focused on wastewater and drinking water facilities that received funding in the past three years from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (a.k.a. the stimulus package) and State Revolving Funds (SRFs), through which states receive low-interest loans for wastewater and drinking water projects. MassDEP wanted to know if the facili- ties had used or were planning to use some of the monies to replace mercury-containing devices with non-mercury alternatives. The agency contracted with the Northeast Waste Photos by S. Hochbrunn, NEIWPCC by Hochbrunn, Photos S. Management Officials’ Association to conduct the study, and NEWMOA turned to Constant Contact Next to a covered bridge near Dover-Foxworth, Maine, a streamgag- NEIWPCC for help. ing station automatically monitors the Piscataquis River around the clock, providing data The partnership was a logical one. As sister interstate agencies, NEIWPCC and for everything from forecasting floods to studying climate change effects. On the gage house NEWMOA had worked together before on mercury issues, and each has done extensive roof is the antenna used to transmit collected data to a satellite, beginning a process that work on mercury on its own. NEWMOA has focused on managing mercury-containing rapidly makes the site’s information available on the Internet. Across the country, thousands products such as thermometers, while NEIWPCC’s priority has been controlling the of streamgages are doing the same thing, supported by a patchwork of funding that some say leaves this vital network on an insufficient financial foundation. continued on page 13 Page 1 IWR, Fall 2010 FRom the executIVe DIRectoR assessinG the impact of Executive Director Ronald Poltak the chanGe in WashinGton Deputy Director he votes are in. The elections are over. But what do the results mean Susan Sullivan for the future development of environmental policy? An angry bunch of voters has once again given us a divided Congress, where Established by an Act of Congress in 1947, the T Democrats and Republicans will be forced to work with each other if they are New England Interstate Water Pollution Control going to deal with America’s issues, environmental problems among them. Commission is a not-for-profit interstate agency The big question is: will they? Can they find common ground and move for- that utilizes a variety of strategies to meet the water- ward on the tough issues? I, for one, do not hold out much hope. related needs of our member states—Connecticut, My reasons for saying so are numerous, a few of which I’d like to share Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont. NEIWPCC coordinates here. After the existing Congress completes its business at the end of the activities and forums that encourage cooperation December “lame duck” session, the 112th Congress convenes in January. The conventional wisdom is that a divid- among the states, develops resources that foster ed Congress produces very little in the way of legislative accomplishment. And in this case, the priority issues are progress on water and wastewater issues, represents broad and complicated. Deficit reduction, tax cuts, job creation, health care reform, and smaller government are the region in matters of federal policy, trains sure to dominate discussion. Water infrastructure needs, Clean Water Act jurisdiction, climate change, nonpoint environmental professionals, initiates and oversees source pollution control, and improvements to our nation’s water policy are sure to take a back seat. scientific research projects, educates the public, and As a result, we must do all we can to make sure our environmental concerns are heard. And we must do so provides overall leadership in water management and knowing the majority of voters are angry and in many ways conflicted. From their perspective, government is too protection. big—and yet they want the creation of more jobs. They dislike the new health care law—but strongly support key NEIWPCC is overseen by 35 Commissioners—five elements. They want to cut the deficit—but don’t want to shrink popular programs. And of course, they favor defi- from each member state—who are appointed by cit reduction and low taxes. their state governors. (The number of NEIWPCC It will take the new Congress until late February or early March to gear up. And then the next few months Commissioners from each state can vary from year to will be eaten up dealing with leftover issues, such as the yet-to-be-enacted 2011 budget. That will leave three year due to the gubernatorial appointment process.) months to deal with all the rest of the nation’s ills and issues. Because thereafter comes the summer recess, and Each state’s delegation includes the commissioners remember 2012 is a national election year. The battle for nomination and election to the White House will domi- of its environmental and health agencies (or their nate and influence every issue, every discussion, and every vote in Congress from the fall of 2011 to Election designees), with the rest of the delegation consisting Day 2012. With all the focus during this period on political jockeying for position, I find it hard to believe that of individuals appointed to the Commission by Congress will engage in a serious, productive discussion of how to solve America’s many water-related problems. virtue of their experience and interest in water and wastewater issues. NEIWPCC staff, under the Then again, I may be wrong. Let us hope so. direction of Executive Director Ronald Poltak and Deputy Director Susan Sullivan, develop and carry out programs endorsed by our Commissioners. Ronald Poltak NEIWPCC Executive Director NeW FRom NeIWPcc Interstate Water Report New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission RepoRt Reveals Findings oF Multi-YeaR 116 John Street Lowell, MA 01852-1124 studY oF Region’s WateR Bodies Tel: 978-323-7929 fter years of research and analysis, and much collaboration Fax: 978-323-7919 between organizations across the region, the New England [email protected] ALakes and Ponds (NELP) project is now officially complete.